Stand Out Moments from the 2015 Grammys

Photo Courtesy / Grammys 

We’re sure you’ve already been told about the most interesting moment of the 2015 Grammys when rapper Kanye West almost interrupted “Album of the Year” winner Beck during his acceptance speech. Whether West planned the interruption or if it was a heat of the moment action, we will never know. West however, gave a pretty telling interview after the show on his thoughts on Beck, Beyoncé and respecting artistry.

All we know is that West should have interrupted him because Beyoncé deserved the “Album of the Year” award for the ***Flawless album that is Beyoncé.

Anyway… Here’s how the rest of the show went.

The Grammy Awards, music’s biggest night, kicked off with band ACDC. The show started off anticlimactically, and unfortunately, never really picked up, except for West’s almost incident.

However, ACDC’s performance did pick up during their classic hit, “Highway to Hell.”

After that riveting display, which host and rapper LL Cool J called “devilishly good,” LL Cool J skipped the standard host monologue, and got straight to the music with “Best New Artist,” presented by singer and former “Best New Artist” loser, Taylor Swift.

Swift charmingly encouraged all losers to simply “Shake It Off,” as she does so well.

Ultimately, the Grammy went to newcomer and R&B crooner Sam Smith who has made waves on radio with songs, “The Only One,” “Latch,” and “Stay With Me.”  Smith went onto win four Grammys, including “Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year” and “Best Pop Album.” Smith also performed with singer Mary J. Blige.

“Best Pop Solo Performance” went to Pharrell’s “Happy” track. To be fair, when a song makes the world dance for the better part of the year, we think it deserves an award.

Later in the show, Pharrell, along with film composer Hans Zimmer, who brought the theatrics, and pianist Lang Lang, who contributed a stellar piano solo, gave a rendition of “Happy.” Granted, after you’ve heard a song about 4,098 times, it tends to get a little old. However, it was still one of the best of the night.

Rapper Kanye West surprisingly sung his song “Only One,” which West worked on with Sir Paul McCartney. It’s no surprise that West isn’t the best singer, but the passion in his displays never go unnoticed.

West came back to entertain us later in the night with McCartney and singer Rihanna with her track “Four Five Seconds.” We always appreciate an unusual combination and surprisingly, the act’s chemistry was great, making it a stand out in the show.

Following West, singer Miley Cyrus and rapper Nicki Minaj awkwardly introduced Madonna to the Grammy stage.  

From West’s minimal presentation with only a microphone and some auto tune, singer Madonna’s spectacle included many background dancers, intricate outfits and ended with her ascending into the sky… I mean, ceiling. Overall, it was a good performance, but I think we’ve come to expect so much more from Madonna, making her one of the more forgettable artists of the night.

Singer Ed Sheeran took the stage to perform “Thinking Out Loud,” accompanied by singer/guitarist John Mayor. We admit that we’re big Ed Sheeran fans, but that performance, while technically good, didn’t liven up the drab show. Kanye West was seen clapping for Sheeran therefore proving he did something right.

Band ELO did the shortest performance of “Evil Woman” then brought back Sheeran for “Mr. Blue Sky.” It was a good moment in the show, but failed to put everyone in the party mood, as that song typically does so well.

After Hoizer performed their hit “Take Me to Church,” the band brought out singer Annie Lennox. Lennox then did a phenomenal rendition of “I Put a Spell On You.” Her immense talent and great stage presence was enough to keep us from flipping though the channels. It’s safe to say Lennox took the Grammy audience to church.

After a domestic violence PSA by President Barack Obama, a domestic violence survivor gave an impassioned speech about her story, which was followed by a beautiful showing by singer Katy Perry titled, “By the Grace of God.”

Perry was the second truly great display of the night, following Lennox. Some of the audience was moved to tears and many gave a standing ovation for the heartfelt performance. It was a nice change to see Perry tone it down from her shark-infested and usually colorful concerts.  

The last stand out artists of the night were also the last of the night. Rapper Common and singer John Legend’s “Glory” was a beautiful tribute not only to Selma, Alabama but also to the events of Ferguson and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The song is also nominated in the upcoming Academy Awards.

What made this year’s Grammys stand out was the noticeable amount of non-standout performances. There were plenty of artists who failed to stay in the trending topics such as Brandy Clark, Eric Church, Jessie J and Sir Tom Jones, Miranda Lambert, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Usher, etc. With 27 performances, it’s easy to see how artists can get lost in the shuffle.

For more show highlights and a full list of winners, check out Grammys.com.